Steam injection has been a unit operation carried out by chemical engineers in processing facilities for as long as chemical engineering has been a science. For example, a typical steam injection water heater was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,498. Subsequently, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,504 dealt with the fabrication of a rather complex device used to eliminate water hammer which has characterized steam injection systems in the past. It was recognized that such heaters worked satisfactorily at relatively low steam pressure such as at pressures below 300 psi. At high steam pressures, however, water hammer develops in the system due to the sudden collapse of relatively large steam bubbles which are created by the high pressure steam as it condenses within the water.
Steam injection has also been viewed as a preferred expedient in the heat transfer from a first fluid to a moving stream of a liquid food product. Liquid food products oftentimes must be heated for sterilization and other purposes in an environment which maintains the integrity of the food product free of contamination from the heat source.
The heating of liquid food products presents further complications which are not present in the mere heating of a stream of water. Specifically, food products are generally of a viscous inconsistent consistency which would tend to clog any system containing complex parts which might otherwise be used in an efficient steam injection system. However, it is recognized that the introduction of steam to a moving liquid body represents an efficient heat transfer protocol. As such, it has been the object of the present invention to provide a device which is simple in construction, virtually clog-free, containing no moving parts and which is more efficient in the transfer of heat energy than comparable devices of its kind.
These and further objects will be more readily appreciated when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.